Small, good deed can triumph over darkness

In his Divali message, he said in the same way the light of a deya can change the appearance of a dark room, so too one small deed has the potential to change the world.

The President added that the "significance of Divali’s symbolism of light dispelling darkness should not ever be lost on us as individuals and as a nation." He said the notion of good overcoming evil, which is associated with Divali, should be projected to the entire national community, especially at this juncture in the life of our nation.

Richards said with most of us being fully aware of the challenges facing the country, there are many who have the interest of the nation at heart and have the desire to see positive transformation. "However, we must bear in mind that change will not occur by merely stating what needs to be done. A course of action must be taken in order to bring about the desired results.

"The responsibility for positive change cannot be thrust upon the shoulders of one person or a few persons. We all share the responsibility for our well-being and change is everybody’s business."

He noted the saying that there are three types of people in the world — those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.

Richards urged citizens to be among the group that makes things happen, adding "none of us should be discouraged by how small our contribution may seem to be, for we can hardly measure the true effect of one good deed."

He lamented that "progress does not always come in large strides and we must be mindful that even small steps bring us closer to our ultimate goal.

"In that vein, Divali reminds us that just as the tiny light emanating from a single deya can change the whole appearance of a dark room, so too, one small deed has the potential to change the world."

Richards also suggested that as the Hindu festival of lights is observed today, "we all take some time to reflect on the past and to project for the future.

"We have not arrived at our current circumstances by accident, so we ought to congratulate ourselves on those things that we have done well, reflecting our better selves. On the other hand, we must be able to learn from our mistakes, our darker side and seek change in those things that we have not done so well.

Richards concluded, "As we celebrate this festival, we may want to accept that it is up to us to so influence change that it works always for the better. We may want to consider also what it really means to let our light shine and upon consideration, I hope that we will opt to do just that so that other nations, small and large, may be encouraged thereby."